When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Perhaps it had started after he'd found her with an injured leg and carried her back to her quarters.
Baek Giha would often approach Sehwa in this manner.
Yet, even then, she dismissed his every act of assistance as hypocrisy, refusing to acknowledge him properly.
Unfazed by her attitude, Baek Giha not only corrected her posture but also taught her how to imbue her arrows with spiritual power.
He even showed her how to strike the target regardless of the distance.
Throughout his instruction, she remained silent, yet she diligently followed his guidance, adjusting her form as if it had been preordained that she would learn from him.
After patiently and meticulously explaining the method, Baek Giha suddenly posed a question.
He had stepped back to observe her stance.
"Aren't you curious why I'm suddenly teaching you all this? Why don't you ask me anything?"
Notching another arrow, she responded in a calm voice.
"What should I ask, and why?"
With a thwip, the arrow flew towards the target.
The more she mastered imbuing the arrow with spiritual power, the more frequently it landed near the center of the target.
"Are you teaching me out of the goodness of your heart?"
"...? Well, yes?"
"Not my concern."
She assumed he felt a pang of guilt, uncharacteristic of him. After all, when they first met, he had apologized for her injured leg.
"...If you don't think I'm teaching you out of good intentions, then why have you been learning without saying anything?"
‘What a stupid question,’ she thought.
For the first time, she glanced back at Baek Giha.
She debated whether to respond, but the absurdity of his question compelled her.
"Why should I care about your ridiculous reasons? You're practically throwing your clan's secrets around, but it's none of my business. Why should I bother stopping you from doing something so foolish?"
She turned away dismissively, nocking another arrow, but…
The released arrow, with a sharp thwip, found its mark, piercing the exact center of the target.
A perfect bullseye.
Stunned into silence by her blunt response, Baek Giha suddenly burst into laughter, as if amused by some hidden jest.
"You learn diligently, yet your words are so harsh."
Her hand, poised to lift another arrow, momentarily faltered.
She resumed nocking the arrow as if nothing had happened, but the Baek Clan Head had surely noticed her hesitation.
‘So what if he did?’ She clenched her jaw.
Harsh? He had some nerve.
It was them who were harsh.
They were the ones making baseless accusations, insisting the Ju Clan was responsible for the disappearances simply because the perpetrator had been sighted in their territory.
The Ju Clan was merely offering assistance out of a sense of duty, yet they instigated a war.
And they were the ones who had dragged a powerless young mystic being here, treating her like a criminal and binding her to their clan!
Indignation simmered within her as she listened to his absurd words.
It was because of this so-called leader of the Six Clans Alliance and his pronouncements that she remained trapped here.
And there was no telling when she would be allowed to return home.
Though she betrayed no emotion, he seemed to sense the volcanic anger brewing beneath her surface, gleaned from that brief hesitation.
After a long pause, he uttered a strange sentiment.
"...I'm not sorry, but... I am sorry."
She didn't understand his meaning, but she didn't ask for clarification.
She was trapped here, and unless he intended to release her, his words were meaningless.
"...I'm sorry," he repeated.
She pretended not to hear him.
Recalling his past guidance, she circulated her spiritual power.
Now, the Baek Clan's spiritual power within her surpassed her own innate power.
The noble clan's energy summoned a gentle breeze around her.
Each clan's hereditary weapon was chosen based on the nature of their spiritual power.
This meant that unless she cultivated her own power beyond that of the Baek Clan, she would excel with the bow rather than the sword.
"Focus on your posture," she murmured to herself.
Sehwa straightened her back and lifted her chin.
"Keep your eyes on the target."
Following the calm, low voice from her memory, she fixed her gaze and released the arrow.
Infused with spiritual power, the arrow zipped towards the target, striking the dead center with an explosive thud.
Thump!
'Oh. Perhaps I used too much force. It's been a while.'
She raised the bow again, this time carefully modulating her power before releasing.
The swiftly launched arrow precisely struck a thin thread beside the hole in the target, exactly where she intended.
It was the same every time.
With the Baek Clan Divine Beast's spiritual power residing within her, she had anticipated surpassing her previous archery skills, but even she hadn't expected this level of proficiency.
Every shot found its mark with uncanny accuracy, as if guided by divine intervention.
"Ahh! Young Lady!" a startled cry broke her concentration.
"...?"
"Your hands! Your hands!"
Lost in the enjoyment of her practice, she hadn't noticed. Now, jolted back to reality by the urgent cry, she saw a frantic Youngsun rushing towards her.
"I would have been there soon! Why didn't you wait for me?"
Youngsun gently lifted her hands. Her fingertips were split and covered in blood.
"Oh?"
Sehwa's eyes widened in surprise as she finally registered the pain. But instead of wincing, she smiled.
‘Even my hands remind me that I've returned to the past.’
In her previous life, after Baek Giha's guidance, she had practiced relentlessly, her fingertips and knuckles becoming calloused.
Such injuries had become rare then, but now, her hands were soft and delicate.
"Oh dear, let's get you treated immediately. We can't have your beautiful hands scarred."
"No, I want to practice with the sword now."
"Absolutely not! Not until your hands are healed! If you insist on continuing, I'll inform the Elder and Madam."
"Alright, alright," Sehwa relented in the face of Youngsun's unwavering resolve.
"Quickly now. Put down the bow. And the sword too. Don't even think about touching it. Come with me."
"Fine, fine."
With Youngsun firmly holding her wrist, Sehwa allowed herself to be led back to her quarters for treatment.
In the distance, the target was bristling with arrows, embedded in a precise pattern along the threads, a testament to her newfound skill.
Early morning. Light footsteps crossed the courtyard of the mansion, where crabapple trees sprawled in abundance.
The cool, dewy fragrance of the trees filled the air with a refreshing scent.
Even the air of the Human Realm, where dawn arrived earlier than in the Mystic Realm, felt invigorating.
'I do enjoy the sunlight in the Human Realm.'
Ju Kyunghyun looked up at the clear blue sky with a satisfied smile.
A soft hum escaped his lips. The plan to send Ju Sehwa to the Baek Clan was proceeding smoothly.
'There's always a way. I was incredibly anxious when the Six Clans Alliance demanded that the investigator for the disappearances be of the Mystic Ruler's bloodline.'
Fortunately, his wise father, the Mystic Ruler, had found someone to take on the task in his stead.
'Those ignorant rebels,' Ju Kyunghyun gritted his teeth, recalling their outrageous demand.
'How dare they try to use me as a hostage to threaten my father?'
Although the agreement to send Ju Sehwa had been reached, he still worried. What if the Six Clans Alliance refused to accept her?
To quell this anxiety, he had meticulously prepared the documents, leaving no room for refutation. He had even included Ju Sehwa's detailed clan genealogy, as if guaranteeing the purity of a prized beast's bloodline.
With such comprehensive documentation proving her direct lineage to the Mystic Ruler…
'They won't be able to demand my presence after seeing this.'
Having also selected a small escort to accompany her and an envoy to guide her to the Baek Clan and return, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.
'I apologize to Sehwa, but it's also the duty of my relatives to assist me. How could I, someone of my importance, venture to such a place?'
With a beaming smile, Ju Kyunghyun reported the situation to his father.
His voice, filled with self-satisfaction, echoed in the Mystic Ruler's presence.
"With the preparations complete, we can send her to the Baek Clan as early as tomorrow."
i'm sure all that careful information about how powerful and well-established sehwa's bloodline is won't backfire at all!
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